More Stories

Informist, Monday, Apr. 6, 2026

 

--Crisil arm: Cost of non-vegetarian thali down 1% YoY at INR 54.3 in Mar 

--Crisil arm: Cost of vegetarian thali flat on year at INR 26.5 in Mar 

 

MUMBAI – The cost of a home-cooked non-vegetarian meal fell 1% on year in March, while that of a vegetarian meal was steady on year, according to CRISIL Intelligence. The fall in the price of non-vegetarian meals was due to an estimated 2% on-year decline in broiler prices on a high base, which accounts for around 50% of the cost, it said in a report. 

 

The cost of a non-vegetarian thali was INR 54.3 in March. Lower prices of onion, potato and pulses also contributed to the decline while elevated tomato prices limited the fall in the cost of non-vegetarian meals, it said. 

 

In March, the price of a vegetarian meal was flat on a yearly basis. "Despite lower onion, potato and pulse prices, the cost of a veg thali remained stable due to higher tomato, vegetable oil and fuel prices," the report said. The cost of a vegetarian thali was INR 26.5 in March.

 

Tomato prices rose 33% on year to INR 28 per kg in March from INR 21 a kg a year ago, driven by delayed transplantation in key producing regions, such as Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, which has adversely impacted crop development, yield and timely arrivals, the report said.

 

Meanwhile, onion prices fell 25% on year due to excess supply from overlapping late kharif arrivals and rabi harvest, coupled with weak exports. This led to distress sales given the limited shelf life of late kharif onions.

 

"Potato prices fell 13% on-year on weak demand from the hotel, restaurant, and cafe/catering (HORECA) sector and stock liquidation," according to the report. Prices of pulses declined 6% on year on account of higher opening stocks in the current fiscal. Tur inventories for the Jul-Jun marketing year are estimated to be 20% higher, while Bengal gram (chana) stocks for the Jan-Dec marketing year are 10% higher this season, which exerted downward pressure on prices, it said.

 

Vegetable oil prices rose 6% on year due to the ongoing global supply disruption. The price of liquefied petroleum gas cylinders rose 14% on year amid global supply disruption, which capped the decline in the overall cost of thalis, it said. 

 

On a monthly basis, the cost of vegetarian and non-vegetarian thalis declined 3% and 2%, respectively, in March, it said. Tomato and potato prices fell 6?ch, while onion prices declined 14% amid higher arrivals and poor overseas as well as domestic demand. The cost of a non-veg thali fell on a monthly basis because of an estimated 2% on-month decline in broiler prices due to lower demand during Navratri festival, according to the report.

 

Crisil calculates the average cost of preparing a thali based on input prices prevailing in north, south, east, and west India.  End

 

Reported by Taniva Singha Roy

Edited by Deepshikha Bhardwaj

 

For users of real-time market data terminals, Informist news is available exclusively on the NSE Cogencis WorkStation.

 

Cogencis news is now Informist news. This follows the acquisition of Cogencis Information Services Ltd. by NSE Data & Analytics Ltd., a 100% subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange of India Ltd. As a part of the transaction, the news department of Cogencis has been sold to Informist Media Pvt. Ltd.

 

Informist Media Tel +91 (22) 6985-4000 

Send comments to feedback@informistmedia.com

 

© Informist Media Pvt. Ltd. 2026. All rights reserved.